Aloha Poke
Poke bar · Dupont Circle ·
Fresh fish, Hawaiian spin, healthy ingredients, customizable bowls
Fresh fish, Hawaiian spin, healthy ingredients, customizable bowls
"This Chicago chain has a Union Station location that provides grab-and-go options for busy travelers hopping on the train. There’s another Aloha in Dupont Circle." - Travis Mitchell
"Aloha Poke Co. is a Chicago-based fast-casual brand that opened in Union Station last spring and has another location scheduled for Dupont Circle." - Tierney Plumb
"Signage spotted at the shuttered Jamba Juice in Dupont Circle indicates a new Aloha Poke Co. location, adding to a crowded scene for fresh fish bowls alongside recently opened Poke Papa, Abunai Poke, and Poki D.C.; the Chicago-based fast-casual chain planted its first D.C. store inside Union Station last summer and earlier issued a public apology for sending Hawaiian businesses cease-and-desist letters after trademarking “Aloha Poke.”" - Gabe Hiatt
"I followed the controversy over Aloha Poke Co., a Chicago-based chain that first brought its poke bowls to Chicago in 2016 and has since expanded to Washington, D.C., Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and San Diego with millions in investment from Levy Family Partners. As the company prepped for national expansion, it sent cease-and-desist letters to businesses using the words “aloha” and “poke,” a move that reportedly pressured at least one Washington state restaurant to change its name and has now been said to target family-owned, native Hawaiian restaurants in Hawai‘i; the exact language of those letters hasn’t been made public. The outreach ignited a viral backlash after activist Dr. Kalamaokaaina Niheu recorded a video arguing that “aloha” is culturally significant and has been commodified, prompting floods of negative Yelp and Facebook reviews, an online petition demanding the chain remove “aloha” and “poke” from its name, and personal messages directed at founder Zach Friedlander, who left the company months ago but issued an email apology calling the situation a misunderstanding and expressing remorse for offending native Hawaiians. Amid this, I noted that poke—a dish of raw fish often flavored with soy sauce and sesame oil—is an integral part of Hawaiian cultural identity, and critics say the company’s legal moves and expansion underscore power imbalances between well-funded investors and struggling family businesses on the islands." - Ashok Selvam
"Aloha Poke Co. opened its second area location this week, offering build-your-own Hawaiian bowls." - Eater Staff